Frequent Organizing Faux-pas and Fixes
Today's the day, you think. Today, I'm gonna get organized. In a flurry of inspiration, you head to the closest home goods store and load your cart with baskets and bins that seem to shout, "I'm helpful! Buy me!" Back at home, you unload your new cargo and fling open the closet door.
An hour later, you're sitting cross-legged in the middle of your bedroom, laugh-crying while spooning Ben and Jerry's. Where did I go wrong? How did this go downhill so fast?
First, give yourself some grace. We all get overwhelmed striving for peace in our chaos. But there are some common denominator mistakes that could hinder your progress down that road. Let's look at a few.
buying product ahead of time
You MUST declutter FIRST, before any more money is spent on tools and products. How will you know what kind of or how many bins you need until you've taken inventory? How will you know that you actually have more room than you thought in the linen closet and could unload some other over-stuffed spaces on these now-empty shelves? (See photo above!!)
Sure, the finished product won't happen in a day, but you've actually saved yourself the time and effort of multiple trips to the store. Worth. It.
Another thing to think about: most retail stores have a rotating inventory. You may have purchased all you need for now, but in time you may need to supplement your new system. If you're buying bins here and there from Costco or HEB or a discount home goods store, you may not be able to find that inventory again in a few months. After you've decluttered, be intentional about the number of bins you need and where you shop for them.
One last tip: Buy in even numbers, and only what you need. I know, I know, Amazon has a deal on a 3-pack right now, but what if you only NEED two? Do you see the irony? You've just decluttered, but now you have more superfluous stuff clogging your space!
attempting too much at once
Listen closely: it's ok to take this organizing journey one drawer at a time, one shelf at a time. Yes, there are benefits to doing a whole space at once. You may today find a bin of fuzzy socks stuffed on a top shelf though you did your main sock drawer yesterday, and now you've got this surprise to deal with. But even then, you've already decluttered something, and therefore now have more physical and mental capacity to puzzle it out.
Progress is constant, even if it feels like a snail's pace.
neglecting to measure
You've decluttered. Hooray! Now it's time for the fun part: buying the bins and other tools!
Before you go out the door, measure your cabinets and shelves. Width and depth especially, and height particularly for shelves that aren't adjustable. There's nothing quite so disappointing as buying something you like and realizing it either won't fit or that it doesn't make efficient use of your space.
only thinking horizontally
Do you have extra ceiling space above your cabinets? Extra shelf space but no extra shelves to fill it with? Never fear, stacking bins and risers are here! Make vertical space your friend by investing in risers and bins that stack well. You may need to invest in a small step stool too, but isn't that better than having your stuff in piles on your floor, or unused cabinet space mocking you?
over-focusing on aesthetics
I could go down a rabbit hole on this one. Allow me to join the chorus that's saying: Instagram is not real life. Those photos you see on the internet are curated to the T. They're gorgeous, truly, but rarely do humans have such a small amount of stuff to allow that much negative space, or even if we do, life inevitably happens and messes up the perfect picture.
Aesthetics is a real thing. You deserve to open a cabinet and see something that makes you breathe deeply or smile big instead of the chaos of un-contained life. There is a gradient of function vs aesthetic, and we're aiming to meet in the middle. Solely focusing on function may not bring beauty and peace; solely focusing on aesthetics will not be sustainable when life happens. Invest in the bins and tools that help your heart breathe deeply, but do not be a slave to them.
Which leads me to my last point...
not thinking about maintenance
When choosing bins and tools, think about your daily life and rhythms. Notice the Who-What-When-Where-How of your stuff on an average day.
-WHO is using WHAT, WHERE and WHEN: Therefore, where should stuff live?
Are you doing your daughter's hair in the mudroom on the way out the door to school? Put her hair brush and doodads in a drawer here. There are no laws that say hairbrushes must remain in bathrooms. Does your husband end up doing computer work at the kitchen table while you're making dinner? 🙋🏻♀️ Make a charging and electronics station here instead of in the office. Practical homes for your stuff will also encourage long-term use of your new system.
-HOW easy or difficult will this be to maintain?
Do you want to spend time taking the lid on and off that box every time you need to put something in it or take something out? Would this bin be more useful if it had wheels?
Know thyself and notice thyself. Future you will thank you.